


Oh no, he's hot!

by ewinkie



Series: Zutara Drabble December 2020 [5]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Crystal Catacombs (Avatar), Episode: s02e20 The Crossroads of Destiny, F/M, Kissing, POV Katara (Avatar), Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, Zuko's Scar (Avatar), Zutara Drabble December 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:02:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27940460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ewinkie/pseuds/ewinkie
Summary: In the catacombs, Katara is astonished at how much Zuko has changed. And how much better he looks with hair.And maybe also how good of a kisser he is.Written for Zutara Drabble December 2020, Day 7: Caught in the Moment
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Zutara Drabble December 2020 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2038174
Comments: 10
Kudos: 83
Collections: ZK Drabble December 2020





	Oh no, he's hot!

“I’m sorry I yelled at you before.” She means it. She’d never thought that she’d apologize to _Zuko_ of all people for anything, but then again, she also never thought that Zuko would apologize for her mother’s death (he sounded genuine!), and then say that the _fire nation_ , his own people, took his mother from him, too.

“It doesn’t matter.” This is _not_ the Zuko she’s used to _at all_. He’s not angry, or yelling, or trying to harm her in any way. He just looks at the ground, away from her. Not to ignore her or anything, but… well, he kinda just seems sad.

So, she tries to explain herself. “It’s just that… for so long now, whenever I would imagine the face of the enemy, it was your face.”

“My face… I see.” Well, that totally backfired. She had not expected his fingers to dance against the very edge of his scar. But today was full of surprises. She also hadn’t expected him to have hair, and to look kind of cute with it.

But now, he’s turning away from her again, looking even more dejected than before.

“No, no. That’s not what I meant.” She steps closer to him.

“It’s okay. I used to think this scar marked me. The mark of the banished prince, cursed to chase the avatar forever.” He sounds more confident, but still looks away from her. “But lately, I’ve realized I’m free to determine my own destiny. Even if I’ll never be free of my mark.” This is really a very different Zuko! He’s self-assured, but not in an I-will-give-soldiers-orders kind of way. It’s in an, I-might-as-well-be-who-I-am sort of way.

“Maybe you could be free of it.”

His eyes open wide, and he turns to face her. In that moment, she suddenly realizes that his eyes are a deep, otherworldly golden color. He looks at her like she’s the moon (well, for him, it’d be the sun, she supposes). “What?”

“I have healing abilities!”

He looks away, and his fists clench. “It’s a scar. It can’t be healed.” He sounds so very disappointed, and almost angry at her for getting his hopes up.

She doesn’t know what makes her do it, but soon enough, she’s reaching around her neck and saying, “This is water from the spirit oasis at the North Pole. It has special properties, so I’ve been saving it for something important. I don’t know if it would work, but…”

She trails off as his eyes finally meet her own, and he closes them in anticipation, letting her ghost her hand over his face, before settling on his scar, with her thumb over his lip – which is actually quite soft, though she of course pretends not to notice this.

This is truly a new Zuko, or maybe he was there all along, trapped underneath the angry one she used to know. He lets himself be more vulnerable, for one, letting her touch what is surely one of his biggest insecurities – a clear difference from when he pushed her away after Azula’s lighting hit his uncle.

Secondly, this Zuko seems to have emotions beyond anger, a purpose beyond capturing Aang. Perhaps he really had just been serving tea. He hasn’t yelled once, not even when she deserved it. He was _kind_ , and she finds that she actually enjoys his company.

Thirdly… well, she’d never admit it to any soul, living or dead, but actually having hair does wonders for him. Yes, he’d had more muscle mass when he was chasing them – fine, she did notice that he was muscular back in the day, but he was the first boy her age other than her brother she’d seen in years, okay?! – but that shaved head, ponytail look was not a good one. The whole constant anger/trying to capture her friend was also a bit of a dealbreaker.

But now, as he stands here, adorably awkward and unsure, she’s free to notice his strong jawline, his soft skin – save the leathery patch that somehow completes the look, instead of detracting from his handsomeness– and how very perfect their height difference is.

She shifts her hand ever so slightly to the side, her palm no longer covering his eye, and her hand no longer covering his lip.

And now, his eyes have slowly blinked open, his piercing golden gaze locked with her own. She’s very aware of the fact that her hand is still on his face. And then she feels a ghost touching her cheek, and warm fingers softly pushing her hair loopy behind her ear.

She breaks the eye contact to glance down at his lips. Then they come crashing towards her own.

Kissing Zuko is not something she’s ever imagined, but if she had, then _spirits_ , it could not have even come close to the real thing. One of his arms is around her waist pulling her body tight against his, and his other hand sits at the back of her head, gently working through her hair, but not keeping her face pressed to his. She could easily back out if she wanted.

But she doesn’t want to back out. She winds both of her arms around his neck, letting her fingers play with the short, soft strands. He kisses her slowly and intensely, not as though he’s trying to devour her, nor as though he doesn’t know what he’s doing, but like he _does_ know what he’s doing, and wants it to last as long as possible.

She’s vaguely aware of his still-sculpted body pressing harder against her own, and her own feet moving backwards. Then her back is against the wall, and she can feel each and every one of his muscles pressed up against her own. She gasps into his mouth, and he grabs her thighs to hoist her up, and–

And then there’s a loud clanging on her door, and she sits up abruptly. She’s out of breath, either from shock, or… or from whatever the heck that dream was.

“Kataraaaa!” Sokka calls, “Dad says breakfast’s ready, and if we don’t get there quick, then the warriors might eat all of it!”

“Yeah… uh, I’ll be there in a minute, Sokka.” She kicks off the thin sheet and places her head in her hands. _Why_ does this keep happening?! Zuko didn’t _kiss_ her in Ba Sing Se, he _betrayed_ her, and nearly got Aang – who _still_ hasn’t woken up yet, by the way – killed.

Sure, she understands that she’s a teenage girl, and he’s an attractive boy her age – the biology behind it is obvious, given that she’s a healer – but does it _have_ to be him? Why can’t she dream of Haru, or even _Jet_ instead? Groaning, she stands up, and stretches towards the ceiling, feeling her back crack, and getting ready to push this dream to the back of her mind, once again.

Why must her life be so complicated?

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> <3


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